The integration of new entrepreneurship elements in the NES is timely and builds on the efforts made by governmental institutions over the past decade. As the diagnostic assessment outlines the main barriers to entrepreneurs in Uganda, this document is concise and focuses on priority interventions.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) developed the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) Policy (2015-2025) and has been running for over five years and brought about several achievements in accelerating Uganda’s entrepreneurship culture. It now faces a number of challenges including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic which has a negative impact on the economy and MSMEs’ performance and growth in particular. Lockdowns, the closure of businesses, loss of markets and limited access to credit contributed to a declined performance of the MSMEs in Uganda. Moreover, the current MSMEs Policy and Strategy do not cater for the issues related to migrants and refugee entrepreneurship. Therefore, MTIC deemed important to review and formulate a MSMEs Strategy in line with the NDP III (2021-2025) and integrating the above-mentioned issues.